2007 Humane Hero Delivers When it Counts

February 8, 2008

©Chris Cromer

Suzie the dog won The HSUS's Humane Hero Award for 2007.

By Dale Bartlett

The results are in, and The Humane Society of the United States is proud to announce that Suzie the Labrador Retriever has been voted the winner of our 2007 Humane Hero Award by you, our website visitors.

Every time we spoke to Suzie's human caretaker, volunteer firefighter Chris Cromer, he told us Suzie was relaxing inside in the warm house, probably on the couch, while he was outside facing the elements. But Suzie has proven she's not afraid to get a little cold and muddy when it counts.

Last February, Suzie brought blankets and hot packs to a man trapped in mud 500 feet from the bank of a Texas lake, saving the man from hypothermia until he could be rescued. In addition to winning The HSUS's Humane Hero Award, Suzie's actions earned her a medal from Newark Fire and Rescue and recognition in the Tarrant County Veterinary Medical Association's Hall of Fame.

A Retriever who "Clicked" with her Caretaker

But where does a dog go to learn such life-saving skills? Chris says he took Suzie to obedience classes, where she easily earned her "companion dog" degree. And to keep her skills sharp, Suzie regularly carries Chris' dinner plate from the living room floor to his wife in the kitchen, and fetches and delivers the remote control to Chris after a hard day's work.

©Chris Cromer

Suzie brought survival supplies out to this man trapped on a frozen mud flat.

"She's a retriever, and we always just seemed to click," Chris said when we asked him how Suzie understands commands to transport dishes to kitchens or blankets to the middle of muddy lakes.

The HSUS has a mission of  "celebrating animals and confronting cruelty." While much of our energies are focused on the latter half of that statement, not a day goes by that we don't appreciate some act of kindness that—were it not done by an animal—would be labeled as humanity.

Suzy deserves her award—not only for her bravery in saving a man from hypothermia on that cold winter day—but also for bringing love and companionship to her family every day of the week.

Dale Bartlett is Deputy Manager of Animal Cruelty Issues at The Humane Society of the United States.

Related Links

Humane Heroes of 2007